


Unified and Divided

by Voruto_Son_of_Boruto



Category: Naruto
Genre: A lot of introspection, For Sloaner's secret santa!!!, Kakashi and Obito are both disasters, M/M, character study/fanfiction, they love each other but take a bit to figure it out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-30 05:18:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 2,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17217755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Voruto_Son_of_Boruto/pseuds/Voruto_Son_of_Boruto
Summary: Obito and Kakashi are soulmates but their road to union is not a sweet cliche but a bittersweet journey.





	1. On Soulmates and Kakashi Hatake

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SansThePacifist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SansThePacifist/gifts).



> I hope you like it Abbie!!! <3

It is often a misconception that soulmates are revealed at first glance: “love at first sight” the adults will joke. Of course, sometimes it is obvious upon first meeting...but most of the time, just like life, it is a rough painful journey--a struggle to find one’s true love in life. Sometimes soulmates don’t even last that long and fade away--how could anything good last an entire lifetime?

 

Kakashi grew up knowing this. His mother had disappeared in a flash of light, leaving a single, shattered father to raise a young boy. Happiness was something that lasted for moments: not for a lifetime. Riding on his father’s shoulders to the Academy . Going out to barbeque. Snapshots of happiness in a short childhood.

 

He came home one day and that brief happiness was destroyed upon finding his father's body… after that, life in ANBU became a blur. War and secrets--a fast paced life that really should not have been experienced by a child. 

 

Then, much to his annoyance and chagrin, Minato chose him to join Team Seven. This team annoyed him. After being considered a prodigy in ANBU, he felt condescended to by Minato. And this team of weaklings and amateurs frustrated him. Of course, he respected Minato...however there was a sense of silliness in the future Fourth Hokage’s manner. It was really his team mates who frustrated and upset his sensibilities. Rin Nohara was the lesser of two evils...not particularly skilled or efficient in fighting, but decent enough to be a benefit in wartime as a medic-nin. However, Obito Uchiha was a constant thorn in Kakashi’s side. First of all, he was clumsy and constantly late. Second, he was a late bloomer Uchiha and had not yet unlocked his Sharingan...which hinted at an almost intolerable level of naivety for Kakashi to tolerate. Upon meeting this new team, Kakashi promptly decided that they were all going to fail. Like any overachiever, he decided to strike out on his own. Sure, they were all part of a team but that did not mean that Kakashi had to lag behind with both of them.

 

Of course, the main reasoning for this overachieving mindset was because Kakashi’s father had been mocked and derided for staying behind for his colleagues (instead of completing the mission)--leading to his suicide. Kakashi, knowing this, had attempted ot devoid himself of emotions and focus on what was necessary: the village and the villages safety. 


	2. On Obito Uchiha and Kannabi Bridge

Yes, Obito Uchiha was a thorn in Kakashi’s side. Never consistent, except his annoying consistency in being late..always babbling about friendship and becoming Hokage...ogling Rin (while Rin was ogling Kakashi)...Kakashi had decided right away that he was too mature for all of this and while he remained civil for Minato’s sake, he was not shy about letting his opinions show.

 

“Rin!! Baka-Kakashi!! Sorry I’m late, an old woman asked me to help carry her groceries and then her cat got out and we had to chase it all over the village!!”

 

\--That was another thing that disgusted Kakashi--the excuses! Kakashi could tell that Obito was not lying, but how does one teenager get asked to do so many favors by random old women? Were there that many old women in the village?

 

After weeks and months of dealing with these frustrating teammates in and around the village on various low-ranking missions, Minato finally got a worthwhile mission--one that would support the village during the war. Kakashi, recently promoted to Jounin, read over the briefing carefully and listened to Minato’s explanation. While the bulk of the mission occurred in enemy territory, Kakashi was sure that he could at least handle it. He glanced irritably at Obito who was trying to impress Rin with a joke… Rin smiled, noticed that Minato and Kakashi were already ahead, grabbed Obito’s hand and ran to catch up. 

 

* * *

* * *

 

In short, the mission went to hell. Rin was captured by enemy forces before they had even reached their target. Kakashi, dutifully focused on the mission task, wanted to finish the mission. Obito, blinded by his childish crush, argued vehemently with Kakashi.

 

“Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash! If I'm going to be called trash either way, I'd rather break the rules!..” With that final stinging comment, Obito sped off by himself to rescue Rin while Kakashi suddenly was filled with feelings that he had never really felt before.

 

This feeling… this certainty… that if he were in trouble, Obito might save him too? Even though his nickname was “Baka-Kakashi”...even though (and Kakashi knew this) he had the emotional intelligence of a genius rock...Obito truly saw his comrades and friends  _ as friends _ . This sudden revelation caused Kakashi to gasp and feel dizzy.

 

Was this feeling love? He decided that he had to help Obito. Alone, Obito couldn’t go against the shinobi who had kidnapped Rin.

 

He helped Obito rescue Rin. Obito awakened his Sharingan--protecting Kakashi...then Obito died.  _ Protecting Kakashi _ . Sure, Obito was just following his Ninja Way and protecting his comrades. However, Kakashi took Obito’s actions personally. Obito had given him one of his Sharingan so that Kakashi could live for Obito...and Kakashi, set his face, and lived for Obito.


	3. Interlude

Kakashi lived for Obito. He worked to protect his friends, he took camaraderie seriously. When the Third Hokage forced him to take his own genin team, and when Kakashi met the group of misfits: the kyuubi jinchuuriki, the last Uchiha, and a young kunoichi whose excellent chakra control was unrecognized; he realized that he had to teach them what Obito had taught him.

When he wasn’t going on missions or wrangling preteens (this iteration of Team 7 was quite a handful), he was in mourning for Obito. He imagined what could have been and the pain wrenched at his very soul. Was this what having and then losing a soulmate was like? Could he and Obito have become something? Kakashi went to the Memorial Stone where Obito’s name was enshrined and just talked. He talked of regrets, of lessons learned, of lessons taught. When Sasuke abandoned the village and Team 7 tore at the seams and Kakashi was left alone once again, Kakashi depended on the stability offered by his Jounin Rival (Friend?) Might Guy and the daily visits to the Memorial Stone.


	4. Interlude 2

The man sighed and fastened his cloak, shivering as he stepped out of the cave into the cold winter air. He had been Madara Uchiha for years...and while he certainly hadn’t forgotten who he had been in the past life--Obito Uchiha, that was his old name… but now he was Madara Uchiha and No One. Ever since Rin’s death, he had lead the life of No One and Madara Uchiha… he was but a placeholder for the final plan. For the dream world. Once everything was over, he would be at peace...with Rin and Kakashi and Minato and Kushina…he would finally have happiness. Madara had assured him of this. 

 

When he had woken from the cave-in where he had “died,” and after he had met the tragic ghost of Madara, and had heard all his stories (How Madara had been abandoned by his dearest friend, how Madara was locked in the warring states era)… and then Rin had been brutally killed… he realized how dark and hopeless the world was. The only way to cure this unjust and cruel world was to fix it and Madara offered the Infinite Tsukuyomi… where the moon and the Rinnegan would change the world. 

 

“Madara-sama, Pein wants to meet with you to discuss the capture of the last few tailed beasts…” Zetsu (Madara’s tangible will) rose from his subterranean territory. Despite practically growing up with the white half of Zetsu, Obito felt incredibly disturbed by the plant-man. Part of him consistently shied away from his own plant parts. They were full of bad memories and he felt impure and dirty...as if his very being was unnatural. He was also in constant pain--he had plant-limbs but at the same time experienced the phantom pain that came from amputated and missing limbs.

 

“Let them know I will be there soon,” he gathered the chakra needed to teleport himself to the Rain Village. He entered his kamui dimension and stared at the few objects that had appeared there over the past few years. Some charred tree fragments, a few shuriken targets, some adult magazines (Obito vehemently denied that he had read them all, multiple times). He began to zone out, remembering the few days he had spent with Kakashi and Rin. He missed Rins quiet reassurance--she encouraged him to follow his dreams of Hokage. She was kind, when others weren't. She was also welcoming and gentle. Meanwhile, Kakashi was stoic and emotionally constipated, but he was always willing to call out Obito on his nonsense. To be honest, Obito thinks he loves Kakashi but is not quite sure. He at least wants his approval.


	5. Pining and Conflict

Madara had said that Rin's death had forced Obito to realize that this world was pain and needed to be mended and broken and put together again. However, as Obito analyzed his own actions throughout the years...as he was filled with self loathing and regret...as Obito brooded on his own wrongdoings...he considered his mindset and world view carefully. His Madara Self attempted to rationalize to his old self how this plan would even work and be successful.

 

Of course, seeing Rin killed had shocked him the most. However, it was also the look on Kakashi’s face that would haunt him forever. Kakashi’s face as he “died,” crushed by a boulder, Kakashi’s shock and horror as he shoved his own crackling and chirpping fist through Rin’s chest… While his Madara self simply nodded and said something wise about the cruelty of reality, the old Obito cried about the loss of innocence and how as Hokage he would fix the broken system.

 

The current Obito (No One), musing on these two aspects of himself. Both the old Obito and his Madara self were created out of witnessing pain and suffering--being isolated and scorned and mocked. Would these fragments of himself be able to merge in the dreamworld?

 

He hoped so… Otherwise Kakashi and Rin would no longer recognize him. Perhaps they still wouldn't recognize him... He felt that he had disappointed both himself and his own teammates--abandoning them like he said he would not. 

* * *

 

He materialized into the Rain Village, underneath the overhanging entrance to Pein’s lair.

 

“You know that you will be abandoning him in the end…” His old self complained from the farthest corner of his mind. “You are trash…”

 

His heart tightened, but the Madara part of him reassured him, “You will see Rin and Kakashi again… Even Pein will forget what you did because he will be with his lost loved ones too. We will all be at peace and there will be no more fighting.”

 

“That’s ridiculous!” the old Obito’s voice trembled with emotion, “You can’t neutralize bad with more bad. I told you not to trust Madara or Zetsu…”

 

No One hushed both of the voices in his head, stretched his shoulders and stepped into Pein’s lair to plan the last few steps of the plan. No One did not have time to debate the finesse of Madara’s plan and the benefits could only outweigh the cost. 


	6. Reunion

Kakashi stared at the now unmasked Obito. After hearing that there were now two Madara Uchiha’s on the battlefield, it had become imperative to determine the true identities. And here it was. His old teammate had not actually died and instead had been captured by Madara Uchiha (who had also not actually died...what was with it and these Uchiha clan members not actually dying?!). But here Obito was, brainwashed and forced to inflict death and apocalypse on the shinobi world. 

Obito smirked to himself. Kakashi’s face, upon realizing that he was alive, was perfect. However, there was also a pang in his chest, both bitter and sweet upon seeing Kakashi. His older self was so excited to see his old rival-friend. However his Madara self was enraged: how could Kakashi act so self righteous--quoting his own words back at him. He had even taught his students Obito’s own words. “Those who leave behind their comrades are scum.” In fact, Kakashi's student (Minato's son), a blonde-haired and loud brat, reminded Obito of his old self and his old self reared up in response. 

And then everything went to hell. Those words that Obito had spoken so long ago were turned upon him! And his old self rebelled and and took over and the confusion and self hatred he had felt all those years turned into confidence and his stance grew stronger as he stood beside Kakashi and realized that this was where he was supposed to be. His true strength lay, not with destroying the pain of reality, but with destroying the status quo and still standing with his friends.


	7. Afterwards

> I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss. I see the lives for which I lay down my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous and happy. I see that I hold a sanctuary in their hearts, and in the hearts of their descendants, generations hence. It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known. (A Tale of Two Cities)

 

The world was safer. It still isn’t perfect, but Obito and Rin watch from the Pure Lands as Kakashi grows older and as the younger generations work towards the dreams of many. 

One day, Kakashi will also join them in the Pure Lands and they will finally be all together. Obito looks forwards to that day. Of course, there will be tears... but he also thinks that there will be confessions--of love, of apology, and (hopefully) of forgiveness. In the few decades that Rin and Obito have shared with each other, he has been scolded and Rin even made some jokes about how dramatic he was in life. 

 

However, for now, Obito is content to watch Kakashi live for him once again...


End file.
